Fear the Lord for His Myriad Works

Psalms 111:1-10 

1 Praise the LORD!
I will praise the LORD with my whole heart,
In the assembly of the upright and in the congregation.

2 The works of the LORD are great,
Studied by all who have pleasure in them.

3 His work is honorable and glorious,
And His righteousness endures forever.

4 He has made His wonderful works to be remembered;
The LORD is gracious and full of compassion.
5 He has given food to those who fear Him;
He will ever be mindful of His covenant.

6 He has declared to His people the power of His works,
In giving them the heritage of the nations.

7 The works of His hands are verity and justice;
All His precepts are sure.
8 They stand fast forever and ever,
And are done in truth and uprightness.

9 He has sent redemption to His people;
He has commanded His covenant forever:
Holy and awesome is His name.

10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom;
A good understanding have all those who do His commandments.
His praise endures forever.

We are to remember and fear the Lord for all His wondrous works.  The works are described here for us to praise Him in His faithfulness of righteousness and justice.  We are to praise Him publicly in the assembly of His people who walk with Him uprightly, and we must praise wholeheartedly.  Because God’s deeds are so wonderful, we need to study them for a deeper understanding and appreciation, not because we must but because we desire to do so with pleasure.  Yes, His work is honorable and glorious, worthy of our admiration and exaltation in word and song.  Why?  Because His righteousness is from before the beginning to eternally after the end of all things; it endures forever as He is forever in existence and goodness.  This is why He made all His works which He has done and will continue to do to be memorable for us, to study and meditate upon that we might give Him ever more glory and exaltation together in our own works, words, and praises.  We contemplate His compassion and grace in provision and covenant.  He knows we fear Him and in grace provides food and shelter and so much more!  He has made a covenant agreement now in Christ ever more secure than that of the psalmist, yet founded on that promise of faith to Abraham to we who believe, a covenant which we are unable to break and which He has promised never to dissolve.  This fear and awe of His grace moves us to remember who He is and all the works of His hands.  God has also declared in His word the power of His deeds (Hebrews 4:12), our inheritance which is incorruptible and does not fade away (1 Peter 1:4), which is us in Him as well (Ephesians 1:18) as His inheritance.  We see also that His works are true and just.  Verity and justice are wed together in all He does, and we can absolutely count on every word proceeding from His mouth which has landed on the pages of scripture as a testament to these things.  Every jot and tittle of His word is certain forever; none of it falls away, because He has done it all in the truth and righteousness of His very being.  Ultimately, this is seen in the redemption He has given to His people in Christ and His eternal covenant, unfading and non-returnable.  Because the covenant is at His command, it cannot be undone by Him or given up by us.  Yes, His name is truly awesome in holiness!  This fear and awe of our Lord God is the foundation of godly wisdom which leads to willing obedience to His word and praise for all His myriad works done for us, especially for our salvation (John 6:29).  Amen and amen!